Date achieved:
Friday 7th April 2023
Where?
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Victoria, Australia
Why is this experience on the Challenge List?
I have put this experience on the Challenge List because my brother and sister have been to the Royal Children's Hospital for emergencies and general appointments for most of their lives. I have seen how sick they have been and I have seen them come out the other side bouncing. I am forever grateful for the doctors and nurses and for all their work and everything they will do in the future. I wanted to return my gratitude by volunteering at the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) for a day.
Description:
Unfortunately for many years I searched for a way to volunteer at the RCH but it required a minmum volunteering time of a year, with minimum hours per week and I couldn't commit to that. I tried to see if there were events that I could get involved in at the hospital. I tried calling them. I tried asking my nursing friends if they could find out anything. I tried external organisations that volunteered at the hospital. I felt as if I tried every avenue and I was possibly thinking I may have to remove it off my the Challenge List as it was basically impossible...
Then I had an idea! If I change one word I can make it achievable, instead of 'Volunteer at the Royal Children's Hospital for a day' and I change it to 'Volunteer for the Royal Children's Hospital for a day' it changed the entire principle of how I can volunteer for the RCH.
With Easter just around the corner I contacted the Good Friday Appeal for the Kids Day Out and asked if I could volunteer doing anything to help them. I was fortunate that it was the week of the closing date for applications to go in for volunteering for the Good Friday Appeal so I was just in time. As I couldn't directly volunteer at the Children's hospital I wanted a role that was still involved with engaging children, as it was closing week there wasn't many roles left but I did find that I could choose to run the table tennis.
I had never been to the Kids Day Out so I had no idea how big the event was and when I walked through the door I was blown away! There was people and there were children everywhere, they were all so busy and engaged it was beautiful to witness. The day is completely run by volunteers, it helps the most vulnerable children in Australia and I think for these reasons it's what makes it more special. There are even doctors who volunteer to do a teddy bear hospital.
When I arrived at the volunteer room they gave me a free Easter egg to say thanks for volunteering, then I found out that the table tennis had been cancelled but they would find me another role to help out on the day. We did a brief volunteer induction and then we could be assigned our roles. I ended up being someone who handed out maps and give people directions to the events and stalls at the centre.
I spent the next few hours standing by one of the doors and meeting new people and just having a great time. It was fun because you could see that the vibe of the place was up because the children and the parents were hyped and excited. I saw some people that I know, which was nice to see some familiar faces at the event.
We got to have a lunch break and where the lunch room was we got to see all the emergency services that had been collecting throughout the day roll in with all their donations. I finished up at the event and they allowed us to keep the purple shirt and I walked away knowing that I had made an impact on the children that I had engaged with on the day, even if it was just sharing a smile together.
Would I do it again?
ABSOLUTELY!!!! Why? Because as the Director of the event said '...without volunteers there really wouldn't be a Good Friday Appeal', volunteers are such an integral part of the event and they really look after their volunteers. Including beautiful food and Easter gifts!
Highlight:
Whilst I was volunteering at the event, I got to see one of my current kinder kids that I was teaching and his older brother that I had a few years ago. The children were stoked to see me there and I was too especially to see a familiar face. The older one asked "Do you work here too?". As I guess for them I was popping up everywhere, it was great for them to see a teacher giving back and volunteering in the community, to have a positive impact for other vulnerable children.
Another highlight for me, is just knowing that by giving my time I have had a positive contribution for the children at the Royal Childrens Hospital. For me giving back to the wider community is so important and I love knowing that I have been able to make a lasting impact.
Cost:
Further information:
The Good Friday Appeal has always been something that I looked forward to backing every year at Easter as their work is so critical, you can find out more about what they do here.
Volunteering for the Good Friday Appeal is such a beautiful way to give back to the most vulnerable children of our community, you can find out more about volunteering with them here.